Reading Chair

What did you take into account when thinking about your design?• Usage: As the brief suggested this chair is designed to be a reading chair. To me this means it should adequately support the human body for long periods of time in a position which is comfortable and doesn’t put excess strain on any part of the body.• Ergonomics: I wanted to create a single back support which would mirror the shape of the human back offering support and distributing pressure. The seat will also have a gentle slope allowing the user to sit back into the chair distributing pressure across the gluts and hind legs.• Size: Although a large chair, plentiful in material may look sturdy, it also has the risk of looking clumsy and bulky. While designing my chair I wanted to ensure it remained elegant and lightweight. • Stackability/Foldability: My chair structure is neither foldable nor stackable as these are not major consideration to me as it intention is not to be part of a set of furniture. • Weight: As I’ve said previously I intent to keep this chair slim and elegant. However in terms of material, my use of hard woods would add to the overall weight of the piece more so than had I chosen softwood. • Durability: Had I chosen a material such as red deal dents and impressions can form quiet easily during manufacture as well as when it is in use. The use of mahogany and beech will hopefully enhance the durability of the finished piece.• Artistic Design: One of the main considerations when I came to making this chair was that I would be completely unique.

Components: Front Rail, 2 Front Legs, 2 Arm Rests, 4 Seat supports, 2 Base Pieces with upholstery
Joints: Mortise and Tenon, Wedged Mortise and Tenon, Glued Butt Joint
Upholstery: It took me a while to settle on the upholstery I wanted on the finished chair. Having bought the fabric which is on the finished chair I wasn’t sure would it suit the chair. This was a golden brown floral material. Subsequently I got some plain cream but this proved to be too plain. Thus I resorted to the originally and I was pleasantly surprised with how it ended up looking.
Finish etc.:Danish oil is a wood finishing oil, made of either Tung oil or polymerized linseed oil.Danish oil is a ‘long oil’ finish: a mixture of oil and varnish, predominantly of oil. Typical Danish oil is around one third varnish. The function of Danish oil is to provide a hard-wearing finish, rather than a particularly fine or high-gloss finish. Compared to oil, it is hard-wearing. Compared to a varnish, it is simple to apply. As the finished coating is not glossy or slippery, it is a suitable finish for tool handles, giving some additional weather resistance.

Nice chair. I think you satisfied your criteria. I am considering doing a chair and I like the designs with different woods to give some more interest. Being a novice tho I am not understanding how you did the back. Is it bent? because I can’t image cutting that from solid pieces. And what sort of stains or finishes did you put on it.

-- "Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art." Frank LLoyd Wright

Believe it or not the back is cut from solid. A piece of cross section 150 by 44 gave me two of the 4 back pieces. Too avoid loads of waste I initially cut out one section with a template then glued together my waste which gave me enough material for another piece. The finish I chose was danish oil as i didn’t was something too glossy